Please vote for a comfy library chair

Count on the next generation of chairs at Rush Rhees
Library to be durable and comfortable. But exactly which one of
seven models under consideration will be chosen depends on the
opinions of students and faculty.

Votes can be cast for preferences from now through
Thanksgiving. The chairs, placed around a table in the second-floor
periodical reading room, are all made of wood and solid to the
touch. More than 200 ballots have been marked so far.

"We've been most particular about
our standards for a quality chair," said Ronald Dow, dean
of the River Campus Libraries. "It's the kind of
furniture you expect to see in a library." Since as many
as 800 chairs need to be replaced, the library's most visible
and most used reading areas will take on a more stately and uniform
look.

Once the votes are counted after Thanksgiving, a
special solicitation of donors will begin. The plan is to purchase
one style by the hundreds to replace worn-out chairs in public
reading areas throughout the building. Chairs like these typically
last 20 to 30 years and cost from $450 to $650 each, Dow said.

Besides covering the outright cost of each chair,
a donation would also go toward establishing an endowment fund.
Money from the fund would be used to repair and replace chairs,
solving the problem for all time.